Dan Woog Named To LGBTQ Sports Hall Of Fame
Former Staples High School soccer coach Dan Woog has been named to the LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame. The announcement says this year’s class “recognizes trailblazers who have made significant contributions to sports, advocacy and inclusion. This year’s honorees have demonstrated unwavering commitment to equity, representation, and leadership in athletics.”
Among the 10 honorees: Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts, former WNBA star Sue Wicks, and “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts.
They’ll be inducted June 25, at a New York dinner. Also honored that night: Glenn Burke Award winners Billie Jean King, and Jason Collins, the first active NBA player to come out publicly.
Woog was one of the first coaches in the country — at any level — to come out as gay. He went on to write 2 books — “Jocks: True Stories of America’s Gay Male Athletes” and “Jocks 2: Coming Out to Play” — that were the first anywhere to address the subject of gay athletes.
He also wrote books on LGBTQ issues in education and the workplace, and on the importance of straight allies. He spoke nationally — from Maine to Alaska — on those subjects.
Woog founded the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s LGBTQ advocacy group. He later joined the United Soccer Coaches’ (the organization’s new name) board of directors, overseeing LGBTQ, Black, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, women’s, faith-based, disabilities, high school and military servicemembers’ coaching groups.
As Staples coach from 2003-21, Woog’s teams won 4 FCIAC championships, and 1 state title. He is a member of both the Connecticut Soccer and FCIAC Halls of Fame.
A Brown University alum, he also co-founded Staples High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance — the first at any Connecticut public school — and the Triangle Community Center’s OutSpoken youth group, which he led for 23 years.
Dan Woog, in action
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